Girls Aloud blogger cleared

A MAN who wrote an internet article imagining the kidnap and murder of the pop group Girls Aloud has been cleared of obscenity.

Former civil servant Darryn Walker, 35, from South Tyneside, England, was charged under the Obscene Publications Act after the blog appeared on a fantasy pornography site.

His defence argued that the article was not accessible, and could only be found by those looking for specific material.

Mr Walker's 12-page blog - Girls (Scream) Aloud - was brought to the attention of police by the Internet Watch Foundation, an organisation for the public and IT professionals which polices potentially obscene material.

Tim Owen QC, defending Mr Walker, said: "It was never his intention to frighten or intimidate the members of Girls Aloud.

"He had written what he had described as an adult celebrity parody and was only meant to be for an audience of like-minded people.

"As soon as he was aware of the upset and fuss that had been created, he took steps himself to take the article off the website."

He added: "This type of writing is widely available on the internet in an unregulated and uncensored form.

"In terms of its alleged obscenity, it is frankly no better or worse than other articles."

The courts also heard that Mr Walker had lost his job since his arrest.

Judge Esmond Faulks formally returned a not guilty verdict to the charge of publishing an obscene article.